The Hindu : Sport / Football : Air India tops group

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Air India tops group

Principal Correspondent

KANNUR: Air India beat North Imphal Sporting Association (NISA) 2-0 and topped Group ‘B’ in the second E.K. Nayanar Memorial Gold Cup football tournament at the Jawahar Municipal Stadium here on Friday. The Nigerian striker Bashiru M. Abbas scored both the goals.

The Mumbai team finished with seven points from three games, the same as Bayelsa United, but a superior goal difference helped it take the top slot in the four-team group in which Instituto Buenos Aires de Futbol, Argentina, and NISA ended third and fourth respectively.

Friday’s match was witnessed by the tournament’s poorest crowd. Not surprising really, for the only purpose of the game was to find out which team would top the group — Air India or Bayelsa.

Air India needed to win to finish ahead of the Nigerians, and it did without too much trouble in the end. Its rival didn’t quite seem to have recovered from the 7-1 drubbing it received from Instituto just 24 hour earlier.

Fine header

Both the goals came in the opening half. The first one, in the 15th minute, was off a free kick taken about 10 yards outside the box by Ravinder Singh. Bashiru came up with a fine header.

The second goal came in the 34th minute, following a goalmouth melee. Bashiru, who received a short pass from Subhas Singh, did well to beat the NISA custodian L. Ashok Singh from close in. In the semifinals, the Group ‘A’ winner Ferroviaria, Sao Paulo (Brazil), will face Bayelsa on Sunday, while Air India will take on Sporting Clube de Goa on Monday. Saturday is a rest day.

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